Report - Spurs may have spotted the next Zidane

Another midfielder isn’t exactly what Tottenham Hotspur need right now but French source Le10 Sport has claimed they are so ken on signing Paris Saint-Germain youngster Adrien Rabiot, they have already started planning for how they will get him next summer.

The 18-year-old Frenchman is yet to make a significant impact with PSG in Ligue One but his style and passion as a midfielder has created comparisons to one of the best French footballers in history, Zinedine Zidane.

Rabiot’s ability to work from box to box, showing enthusiasm in defence just as much as attack has led to speculation that Spurs are going to scout everything about him over the course of the season as he looks to try and break into the PSG first team.

He has been used in holding roles and offensive roles so far during his career, almost as though he’s the Phil Jones of French football with everyone still trying to work out his best position.

He spent time on loan with Toulouse last season with Carlo Ancelotti reluctant to throw him in at the deep end but the indications from the summer are that Laurent Blanc is planning to give him more of a prominent role.

“I feel that the manager is showing faith in me in training and in matches. I've got a good relationship with him, but this doesn't mean that I will stay at PSG,” he said at the start of last month.

The problem for Spurs is that they won’t be alone with their interest in him and several clubs will already be keeping one eye on him because of his potential and talent.

Where Spurs can’t get an advantage without downright tapping him up is to maintain that efficient scouting of him, effectively learning everything single bit of information they can about his game.

PSG resisted the temptation to loan him out this season which means if Spurs want to go to the French giants with an approach at some point this season, it’s far easier for them to do than if he was playing out on loan somewhere else.

If he’s a youngster that Andre Villas-Boas really wants then he can’t afford for Spurs to mess around too much in terms of negotiating a price.

In short, if they don’t pay what PSG would ultimately ask for him, then another club will come in and do just that if he’s really as good as Tottenham’s interest would suggest.

It could turn out to be the case that Blanc refuses to sanction his sale which means PSG may only consider a loan deal at the end of the season, which would probably put Tottenham off because it would be pointless for a club of their size to loan a teenager when they are looking to potentially invest.

Whichever position he settles in, if he can have half the impact that Zidane had over the course of his career then that surely has to be a gamble worth taking.

Worth a punt Tottenham fans? Would it be pointless considering the current squad?

Lewis Doe

Lewis Doe is a freelance writer and editor who seeks to bring you the biggest, smallest and most interesting stories from the football world. Lewis has previously written for some of the biggest football news and opinion sites in the world including FootballFanCast and Goal.com International. Lewis is also experienced writing in the betting industry and aims to deliver his stories with up to date factual and statistical information. He hopes to sum up stories for the site and provide an angle on the issue moving forward.Lewis is HITC Sport's La Liga correspondent.